Absence of them caps off tough travel day for team

ORIOLES NOTEBOOK

CLEVELAND -- After a Murphy's Law day of travel, the Orioles arrived at Jacobs Field intact yesterday. It's just that their orange-and-black caps didn't.

The hats had, for one reason or another, been left behind in Baltimore. Just two hours before the game, then, the Orioles were digging into a trunk that held their spare caps.

Not all of them fit correctly, and there weren't enough of either the gray-topped caps or the extra orange-and-black caps for all the Orioles.

"I don't think we've got enough caps," said manager Phil Regan.

Curtis Goodwin wore a cap that sat on his head like a beanie. Catcher Cesar Devarez's cap appeared to be two or three sizes too small.

Kevin Brown walked out of the trainer's room with his head wrapped in tape. "Hey, guys," he said, "let's go with this."

Pitcher Mike Mussina asked: "Is it legal if none of us wear hats, so we're all the same?"

During batting practice, half the players wore gray-tops, half black-tops. For the game, they went with the gray-tops, because they had more available. The actual game caps were expected to arrive at Jacobs Field at about 9:30 p.m.

It was that kind of day. The Orioles opted to fly to Cleveland the day of the game, rather than the night before, as they usually do. The team bus departed Camden Yards an hour later than scheduled, and when the bus finally got to Baltimore-Washington International, the chartered plane was nowhere in sight. They finally took off at 1:20.

"Now we're all here," Mussina said, "and we have no hats."

McDonald pushed back

When Ben McDonald needed just 103 pitches over eight innings to beat California on Saturday, Regan thought he'd be able to start McDonald tomorrow on three days' rest; that would enable the Orioles to use their best three pitchers against the Indians, the AL's best-hitting team.

But McDonald told Regan yesterday that his arm felt tired, and so Scott Klingenbeck will start Game 3.

The Orioles are off on Thursday, and then McDonald will pitch Friday, in the first of a three-game series against Detroit.

"I think the extra day of rest will help Ben," Regan said.

Brady's bunch

With two stolen bases last night, Brady Anderson stretched his streak of successful attempts to an AL-record 34, one more than Chicago's Tim Raines, whose streak is still active. The major-league record is 50, set by Vince Coleman (1989).

Fernandez throws some

Sid Fernandez, on the disabled list with a strained muscle under his left collarbone, threw for about seven or eight minutes yesterday, and Regan said he should know today whether Fernandez will be able to be activated and pitch against the New York Yankees on June 20.

It seems unlikely, however, that Fernandez will get the start unless he can get through a couple of vigorous workouts before then.

Winfield put on DL

Cleveland DH Dave Winfield was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder.

Since coming to the AL in 1981, Winfield has touched up Orioles pitchers for 26 home runs and 95 RBIs, hitting .277.

Around the horn

Regan said he wants Arthur Rhodes, who has thrown effectively for Triple-A Rochester since being demoted May 26, to remove all the kinks in his mechanics before the Orioles promote him. Red Wings pitching coach Claude Osteen told Regan "that Arthur is really smoothing things out." . . . The Orioles are expected to continue discussions with the agent for Mussina, about extending the two-year contract agreed to Saturday. . . . Last night, the family of Orioles' No. 1 pick Alvie Shepherd was awaiting a response from the club to their counterproposal for a signing bonus. An agreement is expected shortly.